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BOTA 07 - The Gauntlet

PART 7 - THE GAUNTLET:
The Battle of the Atlantic has entered a new and perilous phase. While NATO naval forces have dealt severe blows to Soviet breakout attempts in the northern and central Atlantic, Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov remains determined to sever the transatlantic lifeline. His encirclement of Western Europe has stalled, but not failed. Now, Ogarkov shifts his strategy south.

The Kremlin has ordered elements of the Black Sea Fleet to reinforce the Atlantic front. These units, previously held in reserve, are now transiting through the Mediterranean in a bold push toward the Strait of Gibraltar. At the heart of this movement is the Kiev, a Soviet aviation cruiser escorted by a powerful surface group and a substantial submarine screen. If the Kiev escapes into the Atlantic, it will bring long-range strike and anti-submarine capabilities directly into NATO’s southern rear.

Complicating matters is the growing involvement of Algeria. President Chadli Bendjedid has publicly reaffirmed Algeria’s alignment with the Soviet Union, framing it as solidarity against “Western colonialism.” Although Algeria remains officially non-aligned, NATO intelligence has detected troubling signs of military cooperation between Moscow and Algiers. Soviet naval vessels have been observed conducting port visits in Oran and Algiers, and recent satellite imagery shows rapid upgrades to air facilities across the Algerian coastline.

What remains unclear—but deeply concerning—is whether Soviet air assets are now operating from Algerian soil. Long-range surveillance aircraft, including TU-95RT Bears, have appeared in the Western Mediterranean with greater frequency and are now believed to be staging out of locations beyond the reach of known Soviet bases. The implications are stark: Algeria could serve as a forward bastion for Soviet air and naval operations, effectively turning the Western Mediterranean into a Soviet-controlled corridor to the Atlantic.

The first clear warning came days ago, when Spanish and Italian naval elements attempted to intercept the Kiev battlegroup south of Sardinia. The Soviet response was overwhelming. NATO frigates and destroyers were driven back, several were sunk, and Soviet submarines harassed retreating vessels as they fled toward Malta. Since then, the Kiev has made steady progress westward, brushing aside all attempts at interdiction.

MISSION:
In response, U.S. Atlantic Command has issued urgent orders. Task Force 24.8 “IRONCLAD,” centered on the USS Eisenhower and reinforced by an array of cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, has been rerouted to the Gulf of Cádiz. Its new task: form a picket line and prevent the Kiev from entering the Atlantic.

Spanish Air Force assets continue tracking the Soviet battlegroup, while NATO submarines have moved into intercept positions along the strait.

Ogarkov’s gamble is clear. If the Kiev makes it through, Soviet forces will gain a southern corridor into the Atlantic, bypassing NATO's northern blockade and threatening resupply convoys from the U.S. The Atlantic war would stretch dangerously thin. But if NATO succeeds here—if IRONCLAD can close the gauntlet—the Soviet breakout may falter at the last chokepoint.

In the deepening shadows of dawn over the Gulf of Cádiz, the future of NATO’s southern flank hangs in the balance.

CAMPAIGN:
The Battle of the Atlantic campaign unfolds in a dark reimagining of 1984, where Cold War tensions erupt into full-scale war. After seizing power in the Kremlin, Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov launches a lightning invasion of Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Soviet forces pour across Scandinavia and surge into the Norwegian Sea, threatening to sever NATO’s transatlantic lifeline and dominate the GIUK Gap. In response, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and allied NATO naval forces mobilize for a desperate stand to preserve control of the seas.

From the fog-choked Baltic to the windswept North Atlantic, players will command Task Forces through a series of missions: from the defense of Gotland and interdiction of Soviet amphibious landings, to high-stakes carrier battles in the mid-Atlantic and convoy escorts across submarine-infested waters, to full-scale amphibious warfare. In this struggle for maritime supremacy, every decision counts—and the future of Europe hangs in the balance.

A 25+ mission linear campaign, The Battle of the Atlantic, is inspired by famous naval battles of WWI and WWII. This is my first attempt at developing missions and a campaign. Please let me know in the comments about any bugs or suggestions.